By Merrilyn Sach
Past member of The NSW Field Ornithologists Club
This Guide has been published by the New South Wales Bird Atlassers Inc. to assist its members when in the field recording bird species and related data on a specifically prepared Report Sheet. With this collective data, the Bird Atlassers monitors the distribution of birds in New South Wales, preserving habitats, providing a proper basis for environmental impact studies and for other ornithological reference purposes. The Guide allows the members to be quite precise in recording habitat of the birds sited and is a compact size and weight for use in the field.
But for the casual birdwatcher and lover of Australia's wonderful natural bounties, the Guide provides throughout a colourful and excellent pictorial array of almost 1,000 different habitats in New South Wales together with descriptions of the typical flora to be found, geographical location and of course the common names of the birds which prefer that particular habitat, a preference based on sources of preferred food, shelter and roosting and nesting sites.
With the Guide's use would come a greater awareness of, and appreciation for, Australia's unique natural environment and a wider knowledge of the birdlife which depends on that precious natural world of sea, mountain and desert.
The Introduction is concise and contains a simple yet informative Glossary. The coloured photographs are superb giving names of flora shown and where photographed. Also included is a Bibliography and a list of botanical and common names of plants mentioned in the text.
Overall a very excellent Guide.
Reviewed by Wilf Hilder
Published by Envirobook Sydney 1999 RRP $12.95 from most gear shops
Max Gentle’s terse but immortal description of the Colo River - that is was good for all round physical development - is a masterpiece of understatement.
Anthony Dunk’s new book on the Colo Wilderness and Wollemi National Park is a most useful guide book in the excellent series produced by Envirobook.
The author’s extensive research on the ground as well as on paper, has resulted in a very "user friendly" guide book for a region that is noted for its tough and tricky terrain and poor topo maps.
The twenty walks detailed in the book are graded for experienced walkers and there is a good range of walks for all the major access points around Wolemi NP. The walk descriptions and how to get to the starting points is thorough, bur useful information on the Colo Gorge is scarce. The outline maps provided for most walks are good but will test your navigational ability. Another section in the book covers vehicle camping areas mainly on the edges of Wollemi NP. The book is well illustrated, but some photos are not up to the quality of the text.
I am pleased to recommend Anthony Dunk’s "The Colo Wilderness as a very important reference book for any serious bushwalker interested in Wollemi NP especially the mighty Colo Gorge.